


it is sentiment that keeps us here.

by bulletthestars



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Cousin Incest, Dubious Consent, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-23
Updated: 2014-09-23
Packaged: 2018-02-18 13:08:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2349506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bulletthestars/pseuds/bulletthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lewis is the king of the major kingdom of Greenhell, but Nico is the true heir to the throne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it is sentiment that keeps us here.

**Author's Note:**

> for jaycount's [iceking AU](http://jaycount.tumblr.com/post/85745242356/who-wanted-lewis-the-monarch-and-the-viceroy): nico and lewis' side of the story. written with jaycount's approval. (title from [(i talked to an angel and i still have eyes)](http://screwballdame.tumblr.com/post/74061065257/i-talked-to-an-angel-and-i-still-have-eyes))

**i.**

Nico braces himself for impact. Takes a deep breath. Closes his eyes. He knows what is coming.

 _Crack_!

He bites back a cry of pain. The tears form at the corner of his eyes. It is only the first stroke. Four more to go. Four more and it will all be over. It will all be fine.

**ii.**

Nico bites down hard on the rag in his mouth when the Crown Prince applies soothing balm over his wounds. It hurts so badly, if he could he would heal his wounds immediately but his skills are limited to surface wounds on others.

'Does it hurt?' the Crown Prince asks later. Nico is lying on his stomach on a rug spread out on the floor and the Crown Prince sits by him, cross-legged.

'It is of little consequence, your highness,' Nico answers. There is spittle at the corners of his lips and the dried tears on his cheeks. He needs to rest, but not now, when the Crown Prince is like this, shifting around him, unable to stay still. 'My apologies for being weak, I should be able to take more-'

' _Nico_.' The Crown Prince looks at him, expression pained. Nico bites his lip, looking away. 'Stop that. We are alone now. Call me Lewis.'

'Your high-'

' _Lewis_.'

'I mean no disrespect,' Nico says, biting on his inner cheek. He tries to get up, but his wounds hurt far too much. 'But I cannot possibly-'

'Lie down.' The Prince frowns when Nico disobeys, trying to get up again. 'This is an order.'

'I apologise,' Nico says hastily. He likes the Prince. He really does. The Crown Prince treats him much better than the rest of the staff in the palace, almost as if he is an equal. The Crown Prince smiles at him and offers him soup that is far better than the gruel he gets from the kitchen, and he sits beside him and points at the stars in the skies and traces them with his fingers, telling him about the different shapes in the skies and the stories behind them. But the Crown Prince is weak in his studies, and Nico tries to help him memorise the history of Greenhell and the lands beyond but there is only so much he can do for when the Crown Prince makes a mistake, it is always Nico who will be punished. The Crown Prince will tell him that he will do better next time, that he will work harder, and Nico will smile and tell him that all is well, for what else can he tell him? Inside, he wishes that the Crown Prince would be able to live up to his promises of doing better but really, he does not expect anything. He knows his place — just a mage-in-training, a lowly servant, a companion for the Prince, a whipping boy. Nothing more.

**iii.**

The sprawling lands of Greenhell lie at Nico's feet. He can see past the capital, past the thick forests and the winding river and beyond all that land is the sky and the sun.

It has been six years since he had left the village. Six years since he had learnt of his true heritage. His parents were not his birth parents, they had found him in the forest after the Dark Wizard's siege on Greenhell. Then they had sent him off to school, wanting the best for him, and he had excelled in both academics and at spellcasting. The next logical step had been to send him to the palace, to serve the royal family. Never did he expect to become the Crown Prince's closest companion, nor for the palace tutors to put him into the position of the Crown Prince's whipping boy.

The first time Nico laid his eyes on the Crown Prince, he had been overwhelmed with a strange sensation. The Crown Prince had seemed familiar, like they had met somewhere before. But how could it be? Royalty, meeting a peasant like him? Utter rubbish.

'Nico!'

Nico takes one last lingering look at the kingdom before him before turning back, leaving the balcony to return to the Crown Prince's side.

**iv.**

Years ago, the Dark Wizard attacked the kingdom of Greenhell. The Legendary Seven came to the aid of the King, but little did they know that the events had transpired because of a deal between one of the kingdom and the Dark Wizard. So war was waged, and the people of Greenhell fought long and hard, alongside the Legendary Three. But alas, the Dark Wizard proved to be a formidable foe, and the King of Greenhell fell in battle, and his Queen had swiftly followed in death. Their infant son was lost, never to be seen again.

**v.**

Upon the King's death, his younger brother came to power. The Prince who was always overshadowed, the Prince that no one thought would ever amount to anything.

The truth was that the Prince had made a deal with the Dark Wizard — being young, foolish and power-hungry, he offered his soul in exchange for throne, and the Dark Wizard accepted, giving him a potion to drink. See, the Prince thought that all the potion would do would be to give the Dark Wizard his soul after his death. But he was wrong and instead, the potion planted a Dark Seed in his heart that started to grow, slowly but surely, waiting for a day to burst into full bloom.

Yet the Prince was not as shallow as the Dark Wizard had thought him to be. The Legendary Seven came out of the battle with only three men left — Niki, Jackie and Emerson. After the death of Jackie's mate, he left the kingdom, leaving Niki and Emerson to follow the Prince's orders after the death of the King. The war had been won, but at a great cost, and the Dark Wizard had merely been weakened and not defeated. So they set out to eliminate the Dark Wizard once and for all, pushing him to the border of Greenhell, back to the forests of Far Beyond, where he had come from. Worried for his position on the throne, the Prince ordered Niki and Emerson to search for the King's infant son on the pretext of wanting to return the throne to the rightful heir, should he still be alive.

They searched long and hard, but they could not find the baby.

**vi.**

As the years went by, the new King started to rebuild the kingdom, fortifying the walls at the border, building up the army. His son, Lewis, who had been born around the same time as the previous King's son, had grown up to be resentful, shunned by the rest of the palace because his father had become King only upon the death of the previous King in battle, and his mother had died in childbirth, leaving him alone. The King had been devastated upon the death of his wife and had never remarried, and as Lewis grew older, he became more and more distant, caring more for politics than for his son. He became increasingly convinced that someone was constantly watching him, and he shouted at Lewis whenever Lewis approached him, throwing objects at members of his Court because he was quick to anger.

The people of Greenhell suffered. Food was scarce in the villages, yet it was plentiful in the palace, where the King knew naught of his people's suffering.

**vii.**

'I hate my father,' the Crown Prince says. He sits by at the edge of a pond in the palace, with Nico by his side, feet in the cool water.

'He is the King,' Nico says, and the Crown Prince shrugs.

'Why should I care, he is my father and yet he does not care for me,' the Crown Prince says, throwing a pebble into the water.

Nico has had this conversation with the Crown Prince before, in various settings. It inevitably ends with Nico apologising for something he does not know of, but today is different. The Crown Prince looks at Nico with a strange sort of expression, and Nico shifts, fidgeting under his gaze.

'Your highness?'

The Crown Prince frowns. 'You look different today,' he announces after a while, and it is Nico's turn to frown.

'Is there something wrong with my appearance? I can change it if you so desire—'

'No,' the Crown Prince says. 'I do not know what it is, but I like it.' He grins at Nico, and Nico smiles, cheeks flushed.

'I thank you for the compliment,' Nico says softly. Something stirs inside him, and he does not know what it is. All he knows is that it is warm, and it gives him comfort.

**viii.**

Nico kneels by the Crown Prince's bed, hand placed lightly on his cheek. He closes his eyes, concentrating as he heals the cut, given to him by the King earlier in the day for daring to interrupt his breakfast. The rest of the Court had watched in horror, but no one intervened, fearing for their lives. Afterwards, Nico had helped the Crown Prince to his chamber, tending to his wounds, soothing him.

'Nico,' the Crown Prince says later on, catching hold of Nico's wrist. Nico's job is done, and he should leave. 'Stay.'

'Yes, your highness.'

'Lewis. Call me Lewis. _Please_.'

Nico looks at the Crown Prince, mouth dry. He cannot do this. This is the final boundary between the both of them, and this is the line he cannot cross. But the Crown Prince looks up at him earnestly and Nico wants to resist, he really does. But the word 'Lewis' tumbles out of his mouth, unbidden, and he trips over the syllables.

But oh, the Crown Prince's name feels just right on his tongue.

**ix.**

By the time Nico is sixteen summers old, he is all too aware of how his relationship with Lewis, no, the _Crown Prince_ should not exist. They are close, far too close to be just Prince and servant, for Lewis pulls Nico down on to his bed, and their lips touch, bodies pressed together in the summer heat. When Nico pulls away, panting, Lewis tugs at his tunic and they end up kissing again. Nico squeaks, feeling the hardness in Lewis' breeches against his thigh, and he shifts, moving away in embarrassment because of the matching hardness in his own breeches.

Nico knows that the other servant boys touch one another. They fumble with one another at the back of the stables where they think no one can find them, and he knows how it is only acceptable if it is for fun, to relieve frustration. If there is something more, something involving matters of the heart, larger things like feelings and emotions, it should be between a boy and a girl, not a boy and another boy. And what Nico has with Lewis... It fits into neither of the categories, and Nico knows that what he feels for Lewis should be termed as _affection_ , for that had been what he was taught to feel for Lewis in the first place. But there is something more, a stirring in Nico's heart, yet Nico is not a girl, even though Lewis keeps telling him that he is beautiful, that he ought to be a princess so Lewis can marry him.

(But Nico does not want to be a princess, he wants to remain as he is, a mage in service of Greenhell, but at the same time he wants Lewis to be _happy_ , so what else can he do but agree?)

'Nico,' Lewis whines. He wraps his fingers around Nico's wrist, pulling Nico close. 'Touch me,' he says, and he takes Nico's hand.

Nico obeys.

**x.**

Nights in the palace are punctuated by the sounds of the King's screams. His eyes are perpetually blown wide, bloodshot, and his skin is clammy.

When Lewis is seventeen summers old, the King finally succumbs to the darkness in his heart. He dies, and Lewis becomes King.

**xi.**

The last of the Legendary Knights return to the palace upon the death of the King. Niki places the crown on Lewis' head during the coronation, and Jackie and Emerson give Lewis their blessings without much fanfare. They leave soon after, continuing their search, to no avail.

**xii.**

'Tell me if it hurts,' Lewis says, holding Nico's thighs apart as he pushes into him. It is the night of his coronation, and Nico lies on Lewis' bed with nary a stitch on him, like a prize for Lewis to claim.

(But he is not a consort, he is a mere _servant_ , and it is now that Nico truly feels the distance between the both of them despite how Lewis kisses him and tells him that he means much more to him)

'I will,' Nico assures Lewis. It burns, he has not been stretched enough and Lewis is far too big, but he does not want to disappoint Lewis, who had been looking forward to this for the longest time. So he closes his eyes, willing away the pain, letting out mewls of what he hopes sounds like pleasure. Lewis thrusts into him, hard and fast, and it does little for Nico so he reaches in between the both of them to touch himself. When Lewis realises what Nico is doing, he stops, shifting so that he's able to touch Nico too, and when Nico comes, Lewis' name is on his lips, much to Lewis' satisfaction.

'Stay with me,' Lewis says, later on, when Nico gets up to fetch a washcloth. He wraps his arms around Nico's waist, curling up around Nico.

Nico smiles, placing one hand lightly on Lewis' arm. He closes his eyes, letting sleep claim him.

**xiii.**

Eighteen summers is what it takes for the Legendary Three to track down the final known location of the previous King's infant son. A peasant family had taken the boy in and had sent the boy to the palace when they had discovered that he had the aptitude to be a mage. He was the Crown Prince's companion, and is now the King's mage.

His name is Nico.

**xiv.**

Lewis tries. He implements new policies, trying to ease the financial burden on his people by cutting the taxes that his father had imposed. Peace, land and bread. He does his best to make sure that his people have all three, but it is difficult when there is so much he does not know how to change.

There is also a matter of alliances with the kingdoms beyond the borders of Greenhell. While there is nothing to speak of in Far Beyond, Lewis knows that there are other kingdoms that lie on the other end of the borders, and marriage will be on the cards soon should he wish to keep the treaties he has.

But there is Nico, sweet Nico with his long golden hair and smile like sunshine, more beautiful than any princess Lewis has ever seen. His only companion, his mage, the only one he will ever want. Nico with the curve of his body, his small waist and shapely thighs. If only Nico were a woman, and for all his magic, that is the one thing he cannot change. Lewis does not resent him for it, but one cannot blame him for wishing... Right?

**xv.**

Nico watches as Lewis reverses his father's policies, only to implement them again, one by one. There is something at work that Nico does not comprehend, and he is taken aback when Lewis snaps at him during a session with the Court, for daring to put forth the idea that expanding the army would be detrimental for they are currently at peace. To do so might give their allies the wrong impression, that they are gearing up for war.

Afterwards, Lewis comes to Nico's side with caresses and soft words of apology. He kisses him, one hand on the back of his neck, and Nico leans into his touch because he is safe now — this is the Lewis he has always known, away from the Court.

**xvi.**

Nico is alarmed when he learns that Lewis is fortifying the walls that his father had started building all those years ago. The same walls around Greenhell's borders that Lewis had thought to be useless, a huge waste of Greenhell's resources.

'What are you trying to do,' he asks, voice soft, lying in Lewis' arms.

'Protecting what is mine,' Lewis replies. He pulls Nico closer, and his grip on Nico's arm hurts.

**xvii.**

So Nico begins to work, sneaking around whenever he can, meeting with officials in the Court, away from Lewis. While his position is that of the King's mage and counsel, by now it is common knowledge that he is more than just that — he is the reason why the King will not take a wife, and Nico looks down at the floor, ashamed when they bring it up.

But still. Greenhell is a kingdom with a healthy respect for its mages, and when the officials are convinced that Nico's heart is in the right place, they warm to him and in secret, they reverse Lewis' policies, bit by bit, in an attempt to set things right in Greenhell.

**xviii.**

The Legendary Three return to the palace in stealth, seeking an audience with Nico.

They tell Nico that he is the true heir to the throne.

'You lie,' Nico says, reeling in disbelief. 'What you are saying amounts to treason, you must know that-'

'It is the truth.'

'We do not lie.'

'You must save Greenhell.'

'What do you mean?'

'The King has not been himself lately, has he?'

Nico is suddenly all too aware of the finger marks on his wrist, and hides it behind his robes, conscious of how the three knights are staring at him. 'His Majesty is well. Please do not speak ill of him, for treason is hardly a trivial matter-'

'You will be King.'

'It will not matter if you are not ready.'

'It will happen.'

'Please leave,' Nico says, knees weak. 'I respect you, great knights, but I will not hesitate to banish you with my magic should such treacherous speech continue.'

**xix.**

Nico is on his knees, hands fisted in the bed sheets as Lewis thrusts into him. Lewis tugs at Nico's hair, pulling his head back and baring his neck and when Nico cries out, Lewis cups his hand over his mouth, muffling his cries.

'You are mine,' Lewis says afterwards, biting hard where Nico's neck meets his shoulder. It hurts, but nothing hurts more than when Lewis pulls out and pushes Nico on to his back, coming all over his stomach instead of coming inside him.

Nico looks up at Lewis and the words of the Legendary Three echo in his head.

_The King has not been himself lately, has he?_

'Lewis?' Nico asks, voice hesitant. He has not been satisfied, but he has learnt to put Lewis' pleasure above his own, so this is more than enough, in a way.

There is something in Lewis' eyes that Nico cannot put his finger on, and it scares him. But it is gone soon enough, and when Lewis leans in to place a kiss on Nico's forehead, Nico wonders if he is over-thinking things.

**xx.**

Someone is speaking.

Nico stirs, rubbing at his eyes. He shifts so that he is able to lie on his side, and he freezes, realising that there is no one else in the chamber. There is only Lewis, and his lips are moving in his sleep.

'Greenhell will be yours, my Lord,' Lewis intones. 'Greenhell will be yours.'

There it is, running through Nico's veins. Ice cold fear.

_The King has not been himself lately, has he?_

**xxi.**

There is darkness in Lewis' heart. Nico does not know how it had gotten in, how he could have let it creep in on his watch, but it is there and as Lewis' companion, as his mage, as his _lover_ , it is his duty to help him remove it. So Nico tries, even though he knows that Lewis would react violently to touch he does not initiate on his own.

As Lewis slumbers, Nico presses his fingers to Lewis' heart, touch light as he tries to draw out the darkness. Each night he continues, and it makes Nico weak. His skin grows cold, and he coughs up blood. But if it makes Lewis better, Nico supposes that his sacrifice is worth it.

**xxii.**

Nico fails. He watches, numb, as Lewis repeats the same mistakes his father did as King. Helpless, he turns to the Legendary Three, but they tell him that this is a curse planted by the Dark Wizard that they are powerless to remove. A Dark Seed had been planted in the heart of Lewis' father, and upon his death, it had transferred itself to his son.

Short of killing Lewis, there is no other way to stop its growth.

**xxiii.**

It is becoming more difficult for Nico to conduct with his meetings with the Court officials in secret, for Lewis keeps Nico by his side at all times, unwilling to let him leave. Nico resorts to sending charmed messages, and though he tries, and so do the officials, unwilling to see the kingdom come to ruin, there is only so much they can do without the support of the King and the rest of the court.

**xxiv.**

'Where are you going?'

Nico freezes mid-step, turning around slowly to face Lewis, sitting up on his bed.

'I was thirsty,' Nico says. He reaches for the goblet on the table at the foot of the bed, and Lewis' eyes narrow in the moonlight.

It is written clearly on Lewis' face. Distrust. Suspicion.

Nico drinks quickly, before returning to Lewis' side.

'Do not leave me again,' Lewis says, putting his arm around Nico, pulling him into an embrace. His fingernails dig into Nico's skin, and it feels like punishment.

**xxv.**

Lewis becomes increasingly paranoid, tripling the amount of guards within the palace. Outside, there are cries of dissent along with demands for change, but Lewis will have none of it. He is ruthless, putting a swift end to any voice of discontent, bidding the army to do his work. Nico is hardly allowed out of his sight any more, and Nico feels suffocated, denied of any agency.

(But the truth is, from the day he stepped into the palace, he never had any agency. So why worry about it now, when the only alternative would be to step up and rule in Lewis' stead?)

Nico knows that the Dark Seed will continue to grow in Lewis' heart, and Lewis will remain as a servant of the Dark Wizard if Nico does not act. But Nico is unable to kill Lewis, for how can he bear to hurt the one he loves?

**xxvi.**

Nico finally speaks up when Lewis orders the destruction of an entire village for attempting to protest against the increase in taxes. He has kept his mouth shut for far too long, has allowed Lewis to go down this path of destruction for far too long. In a blink of an eye, six summers have passed since Lewis had ascended the throne, and in this span of time, Lewis had gone from being a ruler determined to treat his people better to a ruler so obsessed with locking his people in, fearful of an imaginary threat. And the darkness festers in his heart, and Nico knows that if Lewis continues like this, he will ruin Greenhell eventually, leaving it ripe for the Dark Wizard's picking.

He cannot hold his tongue any longer. Lewis has to be stopped, and even with the darkness, Nico is still certain that Lewis is _Lewis_ , still the same person who had insisted that he called him by name instead of _Your Highness_ , still the same person who kissed him softly every night, pulling him close to cuddle. If he can draw it out somehow, by reason, maybe, then he can save Lewis.

'You have turned against me,' Lewis says, voice cold. They are alone in the throne room, for Lewis had ordered the rest of the Court to leave. 'I treated you so well, and you turn against me.'

'Lewis, I-'

'I know what you have been doing. Secretly meeting with the court, flaunting your magic to unworthy men.'

'Lewis, what are you talking about-'

'How dare you turn against me.' Lewis' eyes flash, and he draws his sword, swift as lightning, charging at Nico.

Nico waves his hand, summoning a table as a shield, and Lewis ducks, avoiding it easily. Lewis thrusts the sword forward, and Nico transforms the table into a shield, which Lewis smashes easily.

'Lewis, please-'

'I thought you would be loyal!' Lewis roars, enraged. Nico struggles, transforming goblets into shield after shield, putting them in between the both of them. The clang of metal on metal echoes throughout the room, and Lewis overpowers the row of makeshift shields soon enough to charge at Nico again.

'I am loyal to you,' Nico cries, summoning the curtains and turning it into a wall between the both of them. 'How could you doubt me-'

'I should have known you would turn against me, mages like you with lies and deceit,' Lewis hisses. He cuts through the wall easily and desperate to deflect, Nico panics, summoning whatever object he can. Candlesticks fly, and so do more goblets and chairs and finally, he shatters the glass of the mirrors and throws it up against Lewis.

It does not turn into a shield. Instead, it rushes straight at Lewis, and a shard pierces his heart.

**xxvii.**

'Stay with me Lewis, please, _oh gods above I am so sorry please Lewis please_ ,' Nico begs, holding Lewis in his arms. Tears are streaming down his cheeks, he had never meant to hurt Lewis, all he had wanted to do was to stop Lewis from coming at him but instead he had failed, and now the one he loves is dying and for all his magic, he is powerless to heal him. His magic is no match for that of the Dark Wizard, and this is a battle he can only lose. 'You cannot die, not like this. You cannot leave me. Lewis. Lewis!'

Lewis looks up at Nico, and there is a familiar glow in his eyes. The glow that Nico had seen all those years ago, and had slowly been buried underneath all the darkness in his heart. The glow that told Nico he cared for him, wanted him, needed him. 'Hush,' Lewis murmurs. He reaches for Nico's cheek, wiping away a tear. 'All is well now, my love. I am here.'

**xxviii.**

The Legendary Three appear before Nico.

'You are King now,' Niki says, kneeling beside Nico. He holds the crown in his hands, and he places it gingerly on Nico's head.

Lewis is cold in Nico's arms, and his eyes are closed, looking like he is finally at peace.

The doors open, and the rest of the Court stream in. Nico recognises the faces — they are the faction that had supported him when he had attempted to change Lewis' policies to help the people of Greenhell. This is happening far too quickly, and the crown on his head is now a weight he has to bear.

(It should feel heavy, it should feel like Nico is being pulled under to drown now that Lewis is gone, but instead it feels like the greatest burden Nico has ever carried has been lifted off his shoulders)

'Long live the King!'

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to [nessaasalways](http://nessaasalways.livejournal.com), [detentionlevel](http://archiveofourown.org/users/detentionlevel/pseuds/detentionlevel) and [teekuppi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/teekuppi/works) for all your help.


End file.
